For Each Name, A Story
by Woofsee
Summary: For each name, a story. For each thing, a tale. This is a collection of short stories focusing on the Souls/Borne games, but possibly expanding to other subjects. Leaving reviews is helpful as there is always room to improve. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy.
1. Vengarl of Forossa

"Vengarl was known as a raging, deadly warrior. Even Forossa's Lion Knights, a motley crew of rabid fighters, kept him at arm's length."

/[]\

"There," Vengarl shouted as he pushed the last prisoner toward the regiment of Mirrah knights, "He's the last of them. Now you deliver on your end."

He had sent out his squire, Benjamin, to scout ahead. Unfortunately a band of Mirrah knights happened upon the boy and he was taken captive. The rest of the Lion Knights said to abandon him, but Vengarl wouldn't dare. Out of all the people he had ever met, Benjamin was the only one who ever considered Vengarl to be more than a crazed warrior. He would not abandon his squire so easily.

"We promised to reunite you two," the commanding knight said, "and Mirrah's knights always keep their word. Bring the prisoner out!" He shouted to his comrades.

"As I said, we promised to reunite you two," the man said as Benjamin was brought forth, bound at the wrists. "And reunited you will be… in death," and before Vengarl could react the knight had drawn his sword, and stabbed the boy through the throat. As blood flowed onto the earth Vengarl could only stare in a mixture of rage and horror, as the only person who he could consider a friend died in front of him. As the knights advanced towards Vengarl he calmly drew his swords, monstrously heavy blades bred for war, and waited.

As the first knight came within reach Vengarl let loose an inhuman roar, and sent the man's head flying. Without hesitation he charged at the rest, and rained death upon them. With one stroke he would cleave a knight in half, with another he would leave a gaping hole where a torso might have been. The battlefield was a canvas, and he was the artist painting it in scarlet hues.

" _So what made you decide to squire for a rabid dog like me?" Vengarl asked. Benjamin smiled, "You're not a rabid dog, you're as human as everyone else, and I intend to prove that to you. Prove that you're not some mad beast."_

Vengarl could feel tears running down his face as he slaughtered the knights. _"I'm sorry,"_ was all he could think as he lost himself in the blood of his foes.

/[]\

In the distance a regiment of Lion Knights could hear a roar, followed by screaming. As they arrived at its origin, they were witness to the aftermath of a massacre. At the heart of it all, stained in blood, was Vengarl. Vengarl, the mad animal, cradling the head of a boy and weeping. All while repeating, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."


	2. Royal Guard of Cainhurst

_"_ _Silver armor worn by the royal guards who protect Annalise, Queen of the Vilebloods at Cainhurst Castle."_

 _/[]\_

The knight crashed to the floor as Logarius entered the chamber of Queen Annalise. The two knights closest to the door were cut down as they began to draw their blades. As they drowned in their own blood the leader of the Executioners approached the throne. Followed closely were three of his subordinates, wielding the signature wheel of their order. However, as Logarius raised his sword to cut the Queen down he was interrupted by a scream.

Upon turning he witnessed a single knight battle two of his followers as the third tumbled headless to the floor. The wheels his executioners held were powerful, but slow and unwieldly, difficult to land a hit. The silver armored knight seemed to know this, as he dashed back and forth, slashing and stabbing through every gap. Eventually they both collapsed, one bleeding heavily and the other cut to ribbons.

"You fight well sir knight," Logarius said, "if you wish to leave with your life I shall permit it."

"Spare me your courtesy murderer," the knight spat, "I am Ricard, Lord Commander of Her Grace's royal guard, and I shall not abandon her side. Now draw your blade, and welcome death."

As Ricard let blood imbibe his sword Logarius threw aside his staff and drew his cursed sword. As the two warriors adopted a stance the blade began to glow and vibrate, and in the blink of an eye a wave of arcane energy exploded out from Logarius' weapon. Without flinching Ricard dashed to the side, narrowly avoiding the cut, and charged.

With the ferocity of an animal Ricard pressed Logarius away from the Queen's throne. A slash here, a stab there, and Logarius was soon on the defensive. Blood flew from both Ricard's blood-addled blade as well as Logarius himself. Just when it seemed victory was assured Logarius roared and tore through Ricard's attack, pressing him back toward Annalise. Even while extremely wounded Logarius was a capable fighter, and when a gap appeared in Ricard's defense he lunged.

As the blade was withdrawn from Ricard's chest he crashed to the floor, heavily bleeding. He looked towards his Queen and with his final breath said, "I have failed you m'lady, forgive me." And with that Ricard was no more.

With all obstacles removed from his path Logarius walked towards the Queen of the Vilebloods and stared into her eyes. Within them he saw something. Sadness, a depression so abyssal it could not be defined in words. As Logarius raised his sword he took solace in the fact that, no matter what the people would whisper, what he was about to do was an act of mercy.


	3. The Abysswalker

**So the tragic badass who seems to be everyone's favorite Dark Souls character. I hope I did him justice with this. I originally was going to make this a group of notes and warnings the Chosen Undead had found in Oolacile (May follow up on that later), but then this idea came to me. Enjoy fellow accursed, and "don't you dare go Hollow."**

* * *

Artorias collapsed, broken and battered, leaning against his sword before the monstrosity that lorded over him; Manus, the first man, now the Father of the Abyss. Like a shepherd turning on his flock, Manus had betrayed his people by heralding their ruin. As this epitome of betrayal stood before him, he spoke. As he did his voiced seemed to echo across the cavernous chamber, filling it with his presence.

"Why do you persist on fighting, Knight of Gwyn? You have encountered the Abyss before, you know its inevitability."

In response Artorias roared before charging at the demonic creature. With a leap he perched himself on the monster's head and lunged down at his neck. With a scream that could have caused the very ground of Lordran to shatter, Manus fell. As the weight of his body crashed to the ground Artorias dismounted himself and withdrew his sword. He was able to stand for but a moment before falling to his hands and knees.

 _I'm sorry my friends, it seems I won't be making it back after all._ He thought as darkness seemingly descended on the knight.

Suddenly the darkness stopped, and raced to the side of the fallen Manus. Artorias looked up to see the Abyss flooding into the cavern, with Primeval Man as the focal point. As he watched in horror the death wound he had inflicted onto that monstrosity began to seal itself, and Manus rose yet again.

"I told you Abysswalker, the Abyss is inevitable. Nothing you do can stop it."

"Silence betrayer!" the valiant knight shouted, "By my word as a warrior of the Lord of Sunlight you shall be purged!"

And with that Artorias once again charged, and with a wild swing he aimed for Manus' mutated arm. This time however he was too slow. Manus, much faster than an abomination of his size could move, jumped out of the way, and came crashing down onto Artorias' body. Pinning the knight to the floor with his colossal appendage. As the warrior struggled to free himself he felt a sharp pain travel up his arm, before he let out a wild scream. With a glance Artorias understood his pain. The massive catalyst Manus used as a walking stick had been swung at his left arm. As Manus removed his paw from Artorias' body he tried move the arm, his hand, anything. But it was to no avail, the catalyst had destroyed his arm. Not just injured but ground it into dust.

As he lay there, defeated, Artorias could feel the Abyss rushing into him, trying to take control.

"You should have never come Artorias. The hunger of the Dark cannot be satisfied, but it can always use another servant."

/[]\

As Artorias stumbled to the surface of Oolacile he fought back the darkness that assailed his mind. The Abyss was a relentless foe, but he would not break so easily. As he returned to the colosseum where he had left Hawkeye Gough he noticed one of the twisted inhabitants standing in the center of the arena. With a crash he landed atop the monster, his sword impaling it before his feet hit the ground. As he went to withdraw his sword he felt something, the presence of a powerful soul.

As he turned his head to the entrance he saw a knight staring back at him. Clothed in armor and blue cloth the newcomer drew his sword and shield, preparing for a fight. Artorias, with the last of his will, issued a warning.

 _Whoever thou art, stay away. Soon I will be consumed… By them, by the Dark._

Artorias knew he was speaking but no sound came from his lips. In that moment the Abyss chose to strike. In that moment of distraction it rushed into his mind, finally taking control. As blackness once again swallowed both mind and warrior both, Artorias had one final thought…

 _All of you... please, forgive me. For I have availed you nothing…_


	4. Santier, the Statue

_**It took me forever to figure out what Santier was, until it hit me. He is a walking statue, right? So essentially living stone. What else is stone and "alive" (in a way)? Vendrick's golems in Drangleic castle. I originally thought maybe a Giant, but they have more of a rough hide than stone flesh. Hopefully this is enjoyable, and "don't you dare go Hollow!"**_

/[]\

Gaisteel footsteps echoed across the stone atrium of Drangleic castle. The two knights guarding the large ornate staircase leading to the throne room stood at attention as Sir Syan marched to the king. His footsteps were vicious, filled with rage, but his heart's rage was not toward his king. However as he went to mount the stair, the guards would not move aside.

"What is the meaning of this knight?" Syan asked, straining to keep his voice in check, "I have urgent news for the venerable lord."

Not refusing an inch, one of the guards responded, "The king is partaking in a council of war. I have strict orders not to let anyone in. Apologies, sir."

"I see… Very well. Do your duty sir knight."

/[]\

As tears cascaded from the sky onto the castle, aloud crash echoed across Drangleic as the door to the throne room burst open. As Sir Syan strode inside, his silver and blue cape brushing over the unconscious bodies of the two guards, three men looked up from a table blanketed in maps. Head to toe in invisible mountains, non-existent lakes and oceans, and envisioned armies. Farthest from Syan, at the head of the table, sat Vendrick. To the king's right stood Velstadt, a warrior radiating honor and might, and to the left of Vendrick was Raime. Unlike his brother-in-arms, Raime did not radiate anything. In fact the black cloth that adorned his armor seemed to be melting into the shadows, trying to escape from the light.

As Vendrick stood to welcome the new arrival, Syan spoke. Losing control of his anger he raged at his lord, "You assured me you had control of the golem! You lied to me!"

Not willing to allow his king to suffer a slight such as this, Velstadt stepped forward to challenge Syan, but was stopped by Vendrick with a single motion.

"My apologies, Syan. I was confident in my ability to retain dominance over the creature. However we have encountered some… complications, as of late."

You're apologizing? Apologies won't fix what happened. APOLOGIES WON'T BRING MY MEN BACK!"

And so they went on, like a miser would bargain at a store for the cheapest price, they argued on end to reach a settlement. Vendrick insisting he had no idea such a thing could happen and Syan insisting for an instrument of revenge. At last an agreement was reached, and while he was satisfied by the outcome, Syan's body still quivered in rage.

"So it is decided then," Vendrick declared with complete continue of his voice, "Each of the families of your men shall be granted a gift from the treasury, amounting to five times the standard battle pay."

"And?" Syan pressed.

"And you shall be given an army to track and destroy the golem, as well as this." Vendrick said as he motioned towards Raime. The Raven was carrying forth a large, black spear.

"This spear has been enchanted to be nigh-indestructible. The stone flesh of the golem should be no issue for it. Are you satisfied?"

"Indeed my king," Syan said as he twirled the spear in the air, "this will do nicely."

As Syan turned to leave Vendrick gave one final blessing toward his favorite knight.

"Go forth Sir Syan. Go forth, and kill Santier."


	5. The Forgotten Madman

"Truth oft ensembles madness, inaccessible to the dull of mind. Those who go are merely thoughtful souls who failed to reach any conclusions."

/[]\

Clutching his head, the tomb prospector fell to his knees, his screams echoing off the walls of the old labyrinth. The escort looked with concern at him, but with a shake of his head the prospector dismissed the guard. He needed to clear his mind of thought, as he knew how the others before him had been lost. The mad ones.

The Truth that was discovered in the labyrinth was something beyond comprehension, and yet his colleagues still lusted after it. They had gone down before him, but never returned. After finding… It… he understood why. Such a hideous monstrosity he had never believed, much less imagined, could even exist. Yet this was the Truth which he had sworn to seek? Never. If he had to go insane just to acknowledge the Truth, what was the point?

But what if it wasn't insanity? What if those who had acknowledged the truth had simply elevated their minds to such an advanced state, the less intelligent could only perceive it as madness? No. No, no, no… It couldn't be. But if the church worshipped and happily accepted this… thing, it must be!

"NO! Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. STOP IT! Mustn't think. Mustn't muse. That's how _they_ fell isn't it? Clear the mind then, clear the brain. That monster must be erased from memory, that's how to fix you!" The prospector muttered to himself.

"Lord, the irony! The more you talk the more you muse!" he cried between increasingly maddened chuckling, "and the more you muse the closer you come to depravity! Oh, it is wonderfully, hilariously absurd!"

As madness descended on the prospector's mind he began to truly consider his theorem on the Truth and insanity. Why couldn't they be related? He could feel enlightenment and revelation spilling into his thoughts, so much so that it threatened to swallow him. What a delightful thought, isn't it? Understanding truly is a miraculous thing. Sure, those above would whisper that he had lost his mind in the tomb, but he knew better.

As the he toiled in his mind the door to the old labyrinth closed with a resounding clash, leaving the madman and his escort forgotten to the world above.

* * *

 **Man this was fun to write! Short as hell, but fun! Quick question to ye few who actually read this, any characters you want to see? I have a rather large list but the more the merrier. These things won't be too often in showing but I'll try to make them frequent. I want each and every one to be special in its own way.**

 **Like Vengarl's story. I could have easily written of him losing his body, or philosophical inquiries coming from Captain Cranium, but no. It had to be special. It had to show what he was like before he... "died." Also the item descriptions will not be a constant. If they give aid to the purpose of the fic-let they will be included. If they don't... well that's obvious now isn't it?**

 **I'm getting off topic here, excuse me and my ADDled mind (get it?). Just send me a message if you want a certain character to be done. Next up I have a heartbreak reserved for Lucatiel/Aslatiel. You'll love it (or cry) when you see.**


	6. Knights of Mirrah

" _A tiny message is inscribed on the blade, a promise to someone special."_

 _-Mirrah Greatsword_

/[]\

Lucatiel had prepared herself for the worst. But this… this was far worse than she could have ever known. Just as a cloud releases all the rain it had collected in its life, all the tears Lucatiel had kept bottled up with a fleeting hope for her brother came trickling down. As she stared in a mixture of horror and sadness Aslatiel, now Hollowed and maddened, drew his sword and approached. The twin to her own greatsword, engraved with the same promise she had so caringly carved onto her own. Accepting what must be done Lucatiel brought out her own arms to bear, and charged at her sibling.

 _Opening with a horizontal sweep Lucatiel hoped to surprise her brother, but as always he parried it with ease. Sparks flew as the fencing grounds were filled with the sound of their duel. A duel between the two greatest knights in Mirrah. At first Aslatiel was on the defensive, and Lucatiel thought she might win._

As Lucatiel pierced her brother's shield he threw it aside, for now it only served as access weight. Adopting a two handed stance he lead the point of his sword towards his sister, and went on the attack. Lucatiel barely had time to recover as he whirled and spun in a crimson dervish.

 _He had been toying with her. After being on the defensive for the majority of the fight Aslatiel suddenly dodged to the right, before releasing an overhead slash followed almost immediately by a thrust. Lucatiel struggled to block and parry the attacks of her kin, and before long she was the one on the defensive._

Back stepping away from her brother's onslaught, Lucatiel desperately searched for an opening.

 _Just as it seemed Aslatiel was about to stop, he threw aside his shield and adopting a whirling, two-handed stance. Having both equal recovery time and force behind his blows, Aslatiel was mowing through Lucatiel's guard._

After biding her time, Lucatiel found her chance and struck. With a grief-stricken lunge she attacked her brother, and dealt a glancing blow to Aslatiel's shoulder. As her greatsword bounced off his pauldron Aslatiel thrust his own blade through his sister's chest. As her body began to wither away into ash, he stared down at her with dead, unfeeling eyes.

" _Are you okay sis?" Aslatiel asked as he reached down in concern. The duel had ended as it always did, with him victorious and Lucatiel on the ground._

 _His sister smiled in return, and happily accepted the gesture of aid. "Always looking out for me, aren't you?" she said in response._

" _We made a promise to each other, didn't we?" Aslatiel laughed as he gestured to the inscriptions on their weapons._

/[]\

As Lucatiel was reborn in the flames of the bonfire, she could only think of how she had failed her brother. She sat down, leaving her equipment in the dirt, and began to weep.


End file.
